Youth urged to focus on self-employment

THE Executive Director of Women’s Action for Development, Veronica De Klerk, has urged young people in the South to create their own employment opportunities.

She also implored the youth to empower themselves with whatever knowledge is offered, despite limited job opportunities. De Klerk made these remarks at the graduation ceremony of the WAD Karas Training Centre at Keetmanshoop, where 99 students received certificates after completing courses in subjects such as computer literacy, paralegal training, home-based care and tailoring.She praised the youth in the area for their willingness to grab opportunities to escape the clutches of poverty.De Klerk also used the opportunity to decry the murder of educator Rachel Maas, who was recently battered and strangled to death in her house at the town.”It is mind-boggling that men can display such callousness for the life of a single woman.Such cruelty against a helpless woman is absolutely animal and those found guilty deserve to be sent to prison for the rest of their natural lives,” she said.”They should not be allowed ever to return to civilisation, because they cannot be classified as civilised,” she added.One of the two suspects arrested in connection with the murder of Maas, Quinton Pieters, recently graduated at the WAD Karas Training Centre while serving a prison sentence at the Keetmanshoop Prison, De Klerk said.A grade 8 pupil of JA Nel High School, Di-Moore Esau, was among the students who graduated yesterday.She completed a short course in needlework.Esau urged other schoolchildren to follow suit.Also speaking at the event, Deputy Mayor of Keetmanshoop Pieter Visser urged the town’s residents to take ownership of the WAD training facility.”We should stop complaining that we don’t get any opportunities to develop ourselves,” he said.”Opportunities are being created for us.If we don’t make use of them, then we can only blame ourselves,” he said.De Klerk made these remarks at the graduation ceremony of the WAD Karas Training Centre at Keetmanshoop, where 99 students received certificates after completing courses in subjects such as computer literacy, paralegal training, home-based care and tailoring.She praised the youth in the area for their willingness to grab opportunities to escape the clutches of poverty.De Klerk also used the opportunity to decry the murder of educator Rachel Maas, who was recently battered and strangled to death in her house at the town.”It is mind-boggling that men can display such callousness for the life of a single woman.Such cruelty against a helpless woman is absolutely animal and those found guilty deserve to be sent to prison for the rest of their natural lives,” she said.”They should not be allowed ever to return to civilisation, because they cannot be classified as civilised,” she added.One of the two suspects arrested in connection with the murder of Maas, Quinton Pieters, recently graduated at the WAD Karas Training Centre while serving a prison sentence at the Keetmanshoop Prison, De Klerk said.A grade 8 pupil of JA Nel High School, Di-Moore Esau, was among the students who graduated yesterday.She completed a short course in needlework.Esau urged other schoolchildren to follow suit.Also speaking at the event, Deputy Mayor of Keetmanshoop Pieter Visser urged the town’s residents to take ownership of the WAD training facility.”We should stop complaining that we don’t get any opportunities to develop ourselves,” he said.”Opportunities are being created for us.If we don’t make use of them, then we can only blame ourselves,” he said.